GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC Sells 44 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC cut its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 4.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,069 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 44 shares during the period. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $518,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. ABC Arbitrage SA acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,510,000. Highview Capital Management LLC DE grew its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 5,771 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,324,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Davidson Investment Advisors grew its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 26.0% during the fourth quarter. Davidson Investment Advisors now owns 61,161 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $24,630,000 after buying an additional 12,631 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 75.5% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,468 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $994,000 after acquiring an additional 1,062 shares during the period. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 362,334 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $145,912,000 after acquiring an additional 2,855 shares in the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on VRTX shares. Bank of America increased their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $555.00 to $567.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 31st. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $462.00 to $464.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Leerink Partners reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $503.00 price objective (down from $550.00) on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Erste Group Bank cut Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $515.04.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of VRTX opened at $460.06 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $462.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $460.24. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12 month low of $377.85 and a 12 month high of $519.88. The company has a market capitalization of $118.14 billion, a PE ratio of -209.12, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.29 by ($0.23). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 2.02% and a negative net margin of 4.86%. The company had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.76 earnings per share. Vertex Pharmaceuticals’s revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current year.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Profile

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, a biotechnology company, engages in developing and commercializing therapies for treating cystic fibrosis (CF). It markets TRIKAFTA/KAFTRIO for people with CF with at least one F508del mutation for 2 years of age or older; SYMDEKO/SYMKEVI for people with CF for 6 years of age or older; ORKAMBI for CF patients 1 year or older; and KALYDECO for the treatment of patients with 1 year or older who have CF with ivacaftor.